Nexus 7, Nexus 10, Nexus 4 Android 4.4 Update Release: What to Expect

It has now been a week since Google announced the Android 4.4 KitKat update and the Nexus 5. It has also been a week since Google confirmed that the Android 4.4 KitKat update would roll out to the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 in the near future. Thus far, we haven’t seen anything emerge and ahead of the release, we take a look at what Nexus users should expect from the KitKat release date.

Last week, Google confirmed the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the second time. In early September, Google announced the Android 4.4 KitKat update ahead of the iPhone 5s launch date. It didn’t confirm any details, only saying that the update would come later in the year and that it wouldn’t be called Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, the name that many expected.

So, over the next month, Android 4.4 KitKat rumors joined Nexus 5 rumors and teased Android enthusiasts and average consumers alike. All signs pointed to a launch inside of the month of October and as expected, Google delivered. On the last day of the month, Google announced both the Nexus 5 and the Android 4.4 KitKat update, detailing the software for the first time.

Android 4.4 KitKat is an incremental update for device owners which means that it won’t be a major overhaul from Android Jelly Bean. Instead, it is meant to build upon the software that Google already has in place by delivering some new features and enhancing others. It’s an important update and it’s likely one that many users are looking forward to.

At the event, Google announced that it would be delivering the Android 4.4 KitKat update to Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 owners in the near future but a week later, the software still hasn’t rolled out. With anticipation high amongst Nexus users, we want to take a close look at what we expect from the Android 4.4 KitKat update release date for Google’s Nexus devices.

Release in the Very Near Future

Google still isn’t talking about the Android 4.4 KitKat update release date but there is reason to believe that the roll out will commence in the near future. First of all, Google wouldn’t have promised a release in the near future if a roll out wasn’t coming in the near future. It rarely does that. For those that can’t remember, last year, Google announced the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update alongside the Nexus 4 and didn’t roll it out for two weeks. Next week will be the two week mark for these devices.

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However, that’s not the most damning piece of evidence. No, that belongs to the HTC One Google Edition roll out that was promised, by HTC, within two weeks from the announcement date. Simply put, there is no way that this device is going to beat Google’s Nexus devices to the punch. It may share a release date but we highly doubt that it will be the first roll out.

So, at this point, we would circle next week on the calendar. Circling it in pen may be a mistake but it’s certainly a distinct possibility and it should definitely be circled in pencil.

Nexus 7, Nexus 4, Nexus 10 Roll Outs on Same Day

We expect the Nexus 7, Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 Android 4.4 KitKat roll outs to begin on the same day. This is how Google has done it in the past and at this point, there is no reason to believe that it will stray from the pattern with its latest update. So, Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and Nexus 4 owners should expect one, massive Android 4.4 KitKat release date where Google starts the push for all three devices.

Zero Warning

Google may have announced the roll out for the near future but those who own these devices should expect that to be the only public announcement that Google offers up about the Android 4.4 KitKat roll out. We expect the updates to start rolling out without any kind of warning. The only way that Nexus owners are going to find out about a roll out is when the actual roll out begins.

Roll Out That Lasts a Week or More

We expect the updates to roll out together, without warning, and we also expect them to extend beyond the initial release day. Unlike Apple, Google takes an Over-the-Air push approach to its roll outs. So, instead of making the update available to everyone at the same time, Google staggers its roll outs over the course of several days.

In most cases, we’ve seen roll outs last at least a week, sometimes longer. Google never offers official details so it’s impossible to say how long these updates truly take to roll out but we expect the Android 4.4 KitKat update to follow in the footsteps of previous updates which means that it should last for at least seven days if not longer.

Assorted Android 4.4 KitKat Issues

We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again, software upgrades are rarely issue free, especially updates for Google’s Nexus devices. While our experience with Android 4.4 KitKat on the Nexus 5 has been solid, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be issues on these older devices. In fact, we fully expect Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 owners to run into problems after the upgrade.

Nexus 4 vs Nexus 5 design.

Of course, some of these issues won’t come to light for a few days. Often, things are fantastic for a few days before something breaks, whether it’s performance, battery life, or Bluetooth or something else. We obviously can’t say exactly what Android 4.4 will bring but we expect it to deliver some issues when it finally does arrive for Nexus owners.